In 1937, The Ridges Sanctuary became Wisconsin’s first land trust. For 80 years it has been an integral part of the rich, natural setting of the Baileys Harbor community and the Door County Peninsula. Founded to preserve the original 30 acre parcel, The Ridges has grown thoughtfully and strategically to ensure the protection of the most biologically diverse ecosystem in Wisconsin.

The Cook-Albert Fuller Center, Hidden Brook Boardwalk, and nature trails are open year-round. Come and explore all The Ridges has to offer. From guided hikes to tours of the Range Lights, The Ridges offers adults, families, and tour groups a wide variety of options for their visit.

The Ridges is committed to providing education programs for both children and adults. Our goal is to increase the appreciation for our rich natural landscape and to foster connections with the natural world. We provide several programs, year-round, that are great for adults, children, and families. The Ridges strives to meet its mission of education and outreach.

The Ridges is named for its distinctive topography - a series of 30 ridges and swales formed by the movement of Lake Michigan over the past 1100 years. Today, The Ridges owns 1,600 acres in and around Baileys Harbor. In recognition of its rich diversity, The Ridges Sanctuary has been designated as a Wisconsin State Natural Area, a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service, a National Audubon Important Bird Area and a Wisconsin Wetland Gem.

The Ridges and surrounding landscapes have been recognized as the most biologically diverse area in the State by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. To protect The Ridges, research initiatives must provide an understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics and connections to the larger landscapes or watersheds.

Preservation, Education, and Research

Celebrating Wilderness

50 years ago today, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Wilderness Act, the highest level of protection ever afforded the American landscape. This historic bill established the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) and set aside an initial 9.1 million acres of wildlands for the use and benefit of the American people. Over the past 50 years, and as a result of America’s support for wilderness, Congress has added over 100 million acres to this unique land preservation system. Today there are 757 Wilderness Areas, seven of them in Wisconsin:

Blackjack Springs Wilderness

Gaylord Nelson Wilderness

Headwaters Wilderness

Porcupine Lake Wilderness

Rainbow Lake Wilderness

Whisker Lake Wilderness

Wisconsin Islands Wilderness

Defined by The Act as areas where the earth and its communities of life are left unchanged by people, where the primary forces of nature are in control, and where people themselves are visitors who do not remain, these areas are an indispensable part of American history.

As Johnson later remarked, “If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them something more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning.”

There are thousands of other observations about our relationship with nature that seem fitting to share today, but we’ll leave you with one of our favorites:

“The land belongs to the future … that’s the way it seems to me. How many names on the county clerk’s plat will be there in fifty years? I might as well try to will the sunset over there to my brother’s children. We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it — for a little while.” – Willa Cather